More hotels adding pet-friendly rooms

These days, many pet owners are happily exchanging the family vacation inquiry: "Are we there yet?" for a howling "I need a potty break."

At one time, Brenda Kovac wouldn't have entertained the idea of a doggy vacation, thinking finding pet-friendly accommodations would be a fur-raising experience.

But after a recent trip to Lake Louise, the dog lover noticed more and more inns and hotels were catering to the passing-through pooch owner.

"With our next vacation, we knew it had to be a doggy vacation," she says.

After some online searching, Kovac and her three border collies found several lodgings in Banff that would double as pet-friendly doggy dens.

Choosing a hotel within her budget, Kovac loaded up the furry trio and headed to the mountains for a weekend getaway.

It turned out to be a "pawesome" experience.

"Banff is very dog friendly. We could leave the dogs in the room while we went down for breakfast. If there were any problems with barking or anything, they would just phone our cell," says Kovac.

Never afraid of being sent to the doghouse, Kovac was happy to see several other dog owners were using the hotel for a posh pooch palace.

"That was good. You didn't feel if your dogs barked you were going to be kicked out," said Kovac, revelling in the home-away-from-home experience.

"In the evenings you're sitting around watching TV, you have your dogs all there with you. You want to go out for a walk, you take your dogs. It's almost like you have your kids with you."

Kovac doesn't mind the extra responsibility that comes along with pet travel and encourages travellers to follow the lodging's rules and help build good reputations for pet owners on future trips.

"You don't want dogs running up and down the hallway, or causing damage. You do have to be a responsible pet owner. That's really important especially if you want to continue to go back there," she says.

Kovac is planning several trips to B.C. and the United States this summer, along with other dog owners. She is already in the process of locating pooch-friendly hotels along the way. And there is something for every budget.

"From the thrifty economic dog owner to the people who have the show dogs and don't mind spending the extra money, it's all available," she says.

With access to most hotels on the Internet, searching for pet-friendly lodging is just a click away.

Several websites, including Petfriendly.ca,offer access to hotels, motels, vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts that cater to the whole fur-friendly family experience.

Some offer basic pet lodging while others roll out the red carpet for doggy delegates.

Seeing a need to pamper pooch lovers, the Calgary Carriage House Inn initiated a Pet Luv-Inn Program aimed more at the animal ambassadors than their owners.

"In their room, there's a little welcome gift. But instead of a welcome gift for the people, there's a little welcome gift for the pet," says Carriage House Inn director of sales and marketing Brenda Davidson.

Turning down the doggy bed takes on a whole new meaning at the Inn as it offers treats of baked milk bones, made with natural, pet-friendly ingredients in its own kitchen.

It will also provide pet supplies along with doggy bags, a VIP (Very Important Pet) door hanger, water and food dishes and leashes if needed.

Assistance doesn't end there, as a meal service is just a phone call away with the pet owner's custom room service menu, offering cuisine for the fourlegged lodgers, from puppies to senior canines.

"We also have a pet's guide to south Calgary with a list of all the groomers and parks they can take their dogs to, and all the veterinarians and clinics in the area," Davidson says.

The popular program has been operating for a few of years, and has attracted, pets of all sizes, from the purse-puppy chihuahua crowd to oversized Great Dane group. Already in 2010, more than 200 fourlegged walkers have rested their paws at the hotel.

"We were actually pleasantly surprised," says Davidson. "Things have changed. Pets are actually now part of their family and more and more people are travelling with their pets."

The Pet Luv-Inn program costs an extra $10 per night, which goes toward extra housekeeping costs.

"Obviously, we have to clean the rooms more thoroughly because of people who have allergies," Davidson says, adding the inn has had no difficulties with pets or owners following the rules since the program began. "If they do leave a dog in the kennel, people have left their cellphone numbers."

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